The Dark
by Fire Red Fox Queen
Summary: Ideas changed slightly. Axel manages to get a draw against the Supreme King like in the anime, but something else occurs that allows Alexis to enter Jaden's mind and save him, at least from entering a state of complete madness. See if you can figure it out, it isn't directly stated, but hinted. *FINISHED*
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, here's my second attempt at romance. Hope you like it as much as the first one! Just as a bit of a warning, they may be a bit OOC this time around. Oh, and a brief note. I do know that Alexis was sent to the stars. I can't really explain it, so you'll just have to read to see what I mean.****  
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**Summary:**

**What if Jaden wasn't saved by Axel and he was alone in the darkness of his mind? What if Alexis suddenly appeared in his mind and tried to save him?**

* * *

Jaden put his hands over his ears and squinched his eyes shut tight against the darkness around him. He couldn't see the mirrors anymore, but it didn't matter. His own thoughts haunted him.

Why couldn't he save his friends? What was wrong with him? How could he just let them die? They trusted him, and he just killed them all. All Jaden had wanted was to save Johan. It didnt' matter if Jaden hurt himself in the process, it was his fault, after all, but he hadn't meant to involve anyone else. And now they were all gone thanks to him.

Even with his hands over his ears, Jaden could still hear their accusing voices. Even with his eyes shut, he could still see their angry faces. Or worse, the sad ones. They all surrounded him, reminding Jaden of how he failed them. Jaden felt like he was going crazy-maybe he was-but he didn't want those images to go away, and he didn't want to see them all at the same time.

Jaden couldn't bear his guilt, but those mirrors were the only things that remained of his friends. He wanted to feel the pain of their betrayal, just as long as they didn't go away completely.

Hours, days, years, Jaden didn't know how much time passed, but it felt like an eternity that he was tormented by his former friends. Just when Jaden couldn't bear the pain any longer, he let out a wordless scream and watched in horror as all of the mirrors that contained his friends shattered into little splinters around him.

He wanted to move, to do something to put the mirrors back together, but he was frozen to his spot in shock. All of the shattered pieces faded to nothing, leaving Jaden entirely alone. A even deeper sense of loss settled into Jaden and he curled up into a ball in the darkness and tried to suppress the pain.

It was so bad that Jaden felt like he was just a hollow shell, not even capable of crying. He didn't have any hope, and couldn't think of anything anymore.

* * *

Alexis blinked when she realized that she was surrounded by darkness. Just a short moment ago, she was in pain and somewhere where there was too much light. Now was the exact opposite. She didn't feel pain, but she didn't feel anything, really. She just felt...empty. Like she didn't care about anything. It was a horrible feeling.

The darkness was crushing, and Alexis almost wished that she was back in the painful light. Almost. Where was she? She looked around, but couldn't see anything. Alexis didn't really want to go any farther, but her foot went forward against her will and carried her deeper into the shadows.

* * *

Jaden just stared forward blankly. He didn't want them to come anymore. If they came, they also disappeared again. They made him feel hopeful, until they disappeared. He didn't want to see his friends ever again. They were his punishment, his prison. Their prescence was his punishment for betraying them.

All of a sudden, a small light sparked up in the shadowy walls of Jaden's purgatory. Jaden didn't move. He couldn't force himself to do it anymore. It was just an illusion, like all the rest, and soon it'd be gone.

* * *

Alexis spotted something. It wasn't very easy to see. The shadows seemed to be the darkest around it. It was...Jaden?!

_'Jaden!'_ Alexis wanted to call, but her voice didn't make a sound. She ran to get closer to him, but she was blocked by a wall of shadow.

She pounded and yelled soundlessly, trying to reach the only familiar person in the dark. _'Jaden!'_

Jaden didn't even look up, didn't notice her, didn't care. It was just like the time when she was sent to the stars. Jaden didn't care then, either. That thought made her hesitate. Jaden didn't care about her, right?

He wouldn't save her, he didn't save her before. He didn't care about her. But Alexis had the feeling that she shouldn't turn away, like Jaden was the one who needed saving, not her. Still, the pain in her heart was overruling that thought.

She turned to walk away, but a hole suddenly appeared underneath her and Alexis fell into shadows darker than the ones above.


	2. Chapter 2

**Goodness. I disappeared for a long time. Didn't mean to be this cruel, I promise! I got my computer taken from me for a while, and it was like BOOM! Instant unbreakable laziness. Anyway, sorry for the infinite wait. Hope you still like it!**

* * *

Alexis screamed as she fell, her hands desperately clawing air for something to grab. Seconds later, she just stopped falling. That's all there was. No sudden jolt, no slamming into anything. Just stopped. It looked like she was in a hall of sorts, with a whole bunch of doors stretching on infinitely to either side of her.

Curiously, she slid a bright blue door open and got hit with a wave of color and sound. Was this...Duel Academy? Better yet, it was the day that Alexis first met Jaden. It was during his duel with Chazz. It looked like Chazz was winning until Jaden drew the one card that would let him win: Monster Reborn. Too bad he would never get a chance to use it.

Alexis shut the door and slowly backed away from it. Were these Jaden's memories? Her back bumped into a painfully bright white door. She spun and yanked it open with a sharp jerk. Here was the time that Jaden won against the Society of Light.

The images reassured Alexis. These were the times when Jaden was a familiar friend, not when he was a obsessed, guilt-ridden shell of himself. She wandered from door to door, smiling at the fun times she shared with the Slifer.

But when she came across a door that seemed to be made out of multi-colored gems, Alexis hesitated slightly. She knew that this is where Jesse entered Jaden's life. He marked the beginning of Jaden's downfall. Wasn't it his fault that Jaden betrayed them? Her hand brushed the jeweled knob, but never turned it.

Alexis spun away and walked deeper into the hall of memories. As she did, the doors started to fall into disrepair. Cracks appeared in the wood of most, and they looked drab in shades of grey, black, and brown.

Alexis was scared to open them, but she couldn't stop herself. She gripped the rusted knob on one and cautiously pulled it towards her. Instantly, a rush of rage washed over her. Jesse was gone, but now so was everyone else, and it was all this bastard's fault. Defeating him wasn't going to bring his friends back, but it would feel satisfying to feel the worm crushed under his feet.

She screamed and threw the door shut. The last memory was downright murderous! It wasn't like Jaden at all, and it scared Alexis. It was like some demon possessed Jaden.

That couldn't be Jaden, right? Jaden was never mad at anything. He never wanted to murder anything. He was too gentle for that.

As if drawn by force, Alexis pulled open another door. This one was a faded black with thick cracks running through its worn structure. Alexis didn't want to open this one, didn't want to see what was on the other side. But still the door swung open.

If it was even possible, this door was even worse. A whole village was burning around Jaden as screaming villagers fell victim to his wrath. A cold voice that was Jaden's only by sound ordered a whole army of fearsome duel monsters as they took captives and destroyed homes. But that wasn't the worst part. There was a barely noticeable undertone to the rage, a broken voice full of pain muttering "It's all my fault. I couldn't save them. I sent them to the stars, it's all my fault!"

Somehow, it was the smaller voice that sent Alexis over the edge. Jaden was suffering, and his voice was so heartbreaking that Alexis wanted to cry just from hearing it.

"How did this happen? I just wanted to save Jesse, but I ended up losing everyone else too! I was so selfish, and I can't fix it. I'm so sorry, everyone. I can't save you."

Alexis slammed the door shut and slumped against it, sobbing. So Jaden had wanted to save them. Well, it was too late for that, but Alexis couldn't stay mad at him after what she just heard. She wanted to find him, to comfort him, but how was she going to do that?


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone. No amount of apologies will work, but I'll say it anyway guys. Sorry that I've disappeared yet again. But by way of apology, this chapter is the length of more than the previous two combined, and I put my best effort into it. And this may be good or bad news, but it's also the final chapter. At least there will be no more delayed chapters, right?**

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Alexis walked for what felt like forever, not daring to touch any more of the dark doors on either side of her. Suddenly, a plain black door blocked her path. Since there seemed to be no other way out of this nightmarish hall, Alexis decided to take a risk and open the door in front of her.

Her hand reached out hesitantly in fear of what she would find next. Then she forced herself to grip the brass knob and pull the door open. At first, there wasn't anything, just another pool of darkness. No mysterious doors, no memories, nothing. It seemed like a better option than staying where she was, so she stepped forward and let the door swing shut behind her.

Because there seemed to be nothing around, Alexis chose her steps carefully. She didn't want to end up falling into another hole or something.

Eventually, the black door vanished from view and that's when Alexis started hearing the whispers. They weren't loud, and Alexis strained to make them out. Maybe if she tried to follow the sound, she'd find Jaden. It wasn't long before Alexis realized that was impossible. The whispers were coming from all directions, making it impossible to find any source of the noise.

Alexis wanted to scream. How was she ever going to find Jaden again? And just where was she anyway? How did she get there? Being locked in this endless darkness, seeing Jaden's memories, hearing whispers from nowhere, it didn't make any sense! Nothing made sense!

She kicked a foot in frustration, and was startled when she heard a distinct crack as her foot connected with something. Alexis glanced down and saw shards of a shattered mirrors littering the area around her. They weren't there just seconds ago. The vague voices that Alexis heard suddenly became clear and _very_ familiar.

"I can't believe you betrayed us, Jaden." That was Atticus! Alexis threw a sharp glance around, trying to spot her brother, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, Jaden, you're so selfish," Hassleberry's voice agreed. Again, the owner of the voice wasn't there.

The next accusation, however, shocked Alexis the most. "Jeez, Jaden. You're the most selfish person I've ever known. I thought you cared about what happened to me." It was Alexis, only she hadn't uttered the sentence. A shudder went down her spine, not only because this place was creepy, but because she just heard herself say the very thought that Alexis had in her mind since she had been in this weird place.

More harsh comments floated on the air, coming faster and harder. Alexis clamped her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound. Her eyes shot to the ground and she saw faces in the mirrors. The same people whose voices were giving Alexis a headache.

Her grip on her ears tightened, but the noise still reached her. "We hate you Jaden."

"How could you, Jaden?"

"You betrayed us."

"Selfish."

"Unforgivable."

Alexis ran, trying to get away. The voices followed, perfectly audible despite her efforts. And shattered, accusing faces glared up out of the mirrors, as if blaming Alexis for their predicament.

It was too much! Alexis shut her eyes, no longer caring where she went, as long as it led away from this crazy judgement pit. She felt more mirrors shatter underfoot and the accusations grew even louder and persistant. Just as Alexis was about to reach her limit, it all faded away.

She tentatively opened her eyes and found that all the shattered mirrors containing her friend's faces were gone, replaced by a single window. It glowed with a faint white light as it floated in front of Alexis, as if wanting her to come closer. Given all that she had encountered so far, she wasn't so sure that she wanted to comply. But did she have a choice?

She shuffled closer to it, ready to run again if this new obstical proved to be dangerous. To her immense surprise, nothing happened as she came to be within a few feet of it. It just kind of hung there, looking out of place in the darkness.

Alexis drew closer, her curiousity driving her forward. The window didn't seem dangerous. A faint outline started to become visible. At first, Alexis thought it was her own reflection, but when she stood right in front of it, she realized that she couldn't have been more wrong. It wasn't her, but Jaden who was reflected in that mirror. Then again, it wasn't really Jaden, either. Jaden didn't have gold eyes, wear dark armor, or glare like that. But there was no mistaking that weird shock of dual-toned hair of his.

Nothing else happened, so Alexis simply stared at the odd reflection for a few moments. Was it Jaden? It looked so much like him, but too different. "Jaden?" she asked. "Is that you?" No response came from the image, making Alexis laugh nervously to herself. "What did I expect to happen?" she wondered to herself, feeling dumb.

She edged around the mirror, dreading what she would find next. The first thing that she noticed was a faint mumbling. _Not again!_ she cried silently, but she couldn't go back. Not when she noticed the small form in a red jacket curled up several feet in front of her.

* * *

Jaden moaned slightly as it appeared again. This time it was in the form of Alexis, coming to give him hope again before fading away. Couldn't it just leave him alone? Hadn't he suffered enough?

"Hey Jaden, come on, let's get out of here," it said, crouching down and extending a hand towards him. The illusions sure were relentless, weren't they? Making him begin to think that it was real before leaving again. Well, it wasn't going to trick him this time.

"Go away," he muttered. "You always leave anyways. Just leave me alone."

"What are you talking about?" the illusion asked, concern coloring its tone. It really did sound just like Alexis. "It's me. Let's get out of this place, it's giving me the creeps."

"Just go away!" Jaden yelled, his anger heating up. "You're just another illusion, so leave me alone!"

"But I'm not an illusion, Jaden," it insisted. "It's really me, Alexis!"

"Even if you were real, you wouldn't want to save me. I'm selfish. I sent all of you to the stars!" he shouted, tears welling up from the memory of his friends disappearing in front of him while he watched helplessly.

Suddenly a stinging slap landed itself across his face. He couldn't help but thing vaguely that it was weird. None of the other illusions ever touched him...

"Jaden, you're not selfish. How many times have you saved me since we started going to Duel Academy? How many times have you risked your life to save all of us? Trust me, if you're selfish, then we're all demons for forcing you to go through all of that. Look, I'm sure that you can still fix this. You always do," the illusion-no-Alexis said softly, a hand resting on top of his head. "But first you have to get us out of here."

"Now let's go," she said again, grabbing his wrist and pulling him to his feet.

"Al-Alexis, I'm sorry," he said. "For not being able save you."

She turned back to him and gave him a sad smile. "You saved me more than enough times, it was just my turn to do the same for you." And with that, she wrapped him in a tight hug. Jaden stiffened slightly in surprise, then returned it, desperately clinging on to the one ray of hope that he had.

"Hey, Alexis?" She glanced up at him, just enough. "Thanks," Jaden said with a genuine smile crossing his face before leaning down to kiss Alexis softly on the lips.

* * *

Jaden's eyes fluttered open, leaving him dazed and slightly confused. Wasn't he somewhere dark just now? And where was Alexis? Tree leaves shifted and whispered vaguely as a breeze gently wafted by, and there was no sign of Alexis anywhere. Was it all a dream?

He shifted and tried to push himself up before quickly realizing that he was too weak to attempt the motion. Jaden slid back down into the blankets around him, groaning from the pain that seemed to radiate from every inch of him.

The worst of his pain wasn't physical, though. Jaden faintly remembered vague nightmares where Jim and Axel and a lot of other innocent people were sent to the stars. Worse yet, he remembered that he was the cause. They had to just be nightmares, right? Jaden couldn't have sent them to the stars. But despite his efforts, he couldn't shake that horrible feeling that the nightmares gave him.

"Jaden, you're awake?" Syrus said, his crazy blue hair suddenly filling Jaden's view before concerned grey eyes stared at him from behind small circular glasses.

"Yeah," Jaden forced. It was really difficult to talk, like Jaden hadn't used his voice in years. "Where am I?"

"Still in the duel dimension," Syrus answered.

"What happened?" Jaden asked, dreading the reply that he knew was coming. He just really hoped that he was wrong. "Where is Alexis? Or Axel and Jim?"

Syrus just shook his head sadly. "Gone, Jaden. And..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought that a deeper voice behind continued.

"And you were the one who sent them to the stars," Zane said, looming over his younger brother. Aster ran up silently, watching the exchange.

"No, I couldn't have," Jaden denied desperately.

"You did, Jaden, and the sooner you face that, the better off you'll be," Zane said coldly. As always, he didn't seem to have a problem saying the harsh advice. "Just be thankful to Axel. In the duel he had against you, he managed to come to a draw and used to Eye of Oricalcum to free you from the Supreme King."

"Supreme King? Eye of Oricalcum?" Jaden couldn't follow this conversation.

"Yeah, after Alexis and the others got sent to the stars, you started acting crazy, Jaden," Syrus clarified. "You started calling yourself the Supreme King and sent a lot of people to the stars. And the eye that Jim always had bandaged turned out to the Eye of Oricalcum. I don't know what it did, but it flared really brightly when your duel with Axel ended."

Jaden wasn't paying attention to anything that Syrus said. The only sentence he caught was the one where he sent people to the stars. Not only did he allow Alexis and the others to get sent to the stars, but he sent innocent people to the stars himself. How could he? He really was a selfish monster.

But as he thought that, a faint image of Alexis' reassuring face flashed across his mind. It was fleeting and didn't last long under the crushing guilt that Jaden felt. "It's all my fault," he muttered, hands reaching up to cover his shamed face. "It's all my fault."

* * *

Alexis found herself back where she had started, wondering if her time in the dark with Jaden had really happened. Although the bright blinding light was pretty unrealistic in itself. Alexis thought back on the short kiss she had shared with Jaden. It had certainly felt real, and Alexis wished that she was back with Jaden. It was better than being completely alone in a place filled with a bright white light.

Still, how had she managed to get to him in the first place? She thought back and faintly remembered a quick flash of red engulfing her. What had that been?

Well, Alexis wasn't going to have to worry about it much longer. She knew that Jaden would come for her now that she knew that he hadn't meant to betray them. It was only a matter of time before Jaden found a way to save her yet again.


End file.
